Ok, I admit that there is no way that anyone could argue this is crime-related, but I am a big fan of Whit Stillman and giddy as a schoolgirl at the thought of a new Stillman film with new Stillman dialogue. Whit’s previous works included the outstanding METROPOLITAN, the pretty good BARCELONA and THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO. It has been 13 years since TLDoD and I had forgotten he existed until METROPOLITAN got the Criterion treatment.
DAMSELS IN DISTRESS follows a trio of beautiful girls who set out to revolutionize life at a grungy East Coast College – the dynamic leader Violet Wister (Greta Gerwig), principled Rose
(Megalyn Echikunwoke) and sexy Heather (Carrie MacLemore). They welcome transfer student Lily (Tipton) into their group which seeks to help severely depressed students with a program of
good hygiene and musical dance numbers. The girls become romantically entangled with a series of men — including slick Charlie (Adam Brody), dreamboat Xavier (Hugo Becker) and the mad frat pack of Frank (Ryan Metcalf) and Thor (Billy Magnussen)—who threaten the girls’ friendship and sanity.
DAMSELS IN DISTRESS has been making its way around the festival circuit and has garnered considerable praise and will be released, in NYC and L.A., on April 6th. No word as to whether it will then go to DVD or will get a wider release.